Just Another Day Without You
by Lotuss Tears
Summary: Contains Adult Material: Chapter 10 is up! While the battle rages in Wutai Cid and Vincent recover from their wounds in Rocket Town, Chapter 10 contains Cid...Therefore Chapter 10 contains cussing ]
1. Default Chapter

AN: No change to the story here, just fixed so hopefuly the paragraphs aren't so big and Killer on the eyes.More "Reader Friendly" and no MSG included ;]  
  
Morning alone When you come home I breathe a little faster Every time we're together It'd never be the same If you're not here How can you stay away, away so long.  
  
--  
  
The mug of coffee had grown luke warm in her hands, when she'd sat down at the table she found she'd welcomed the warmth eminating from the pewter mug, not even noticing when her skin began to protest against the heat.  
  
More often then not she'd found herself lost in the long dark corridors of her own mind, a place she kept to herself, Though her personality was always a positive upbeat experience for anyone she encountered, especially her friends...the young girl from Nibelhiem had her own dark places...moreso over the past year.  
  
Not even the destruction of her own home had cut her deep as Clouds departure, so sudden, no letter of explanation, nothing... On some level deep inside of her Tifa thought she understood, though all of the companions has suffered throughout their Journey to save the Planet none had suffered as harshly as Cloud had...finding out a large perportion of his life had been a lie, discovering buried memories of cruel experamentation, having failed in so many ways...  
  
But...what about her feelings?  
  
What about her god damn feelings? Had she not suffered the same losses? Watched her hometown burn to the ground as had he? Watched in horror as Sephiroth took the life of possibly the most pure and kind soul on the planet? The last Ancient?  
  
The Pewter mug cracked in her hands as she clenched it too tightly, bits of shards dug into her palms and fingers, no stranger to pain she merely watched with a grim fascination as her palms began to pool with blood...spilling out onto the table top to mix with the spilled coffee...the pain a dull throb that did nothing to match the ache in her heart.  
  
Rising with a sigh she came back to reality...Cloud was gone...and while a thousand questions ran through her head to ask him...to scream at him...the fact was Cloud was only the tip of the iceberg, the tip of the emotional tidal wave...any love she'd felt for him was gone, like a flower killed in mid-bloom that would never be nurtured back to life again by his hands.  
  
Tending to her cut hands she washed and cleaned them, then moved to clean up the table...by the time she'd finished her hands had begun to bleed anew...the cuts so deep that more serious medical attention would be needed.  
  
Pushing the throbbing ache to the back of her mind Tifa cast her gaze out the window, fresh snow had fallen the night before and with the rising of the sun the fields behind her house were covered in a soft blanket of white that seemed to shimmer like diamonds in the sunlight, in the distance a small speck in the vast field was her friend and companion  
  
Vincent Valentine...  
  
But was friend an accurate description? Not with the thoughts flowing through her head as of late, and not with looks she'd seen from his eyes, no...friendship was slowly fading, instead there was a vast tension taking its place in between them...and if something wasn't done about it soon, the tension would harden into a rift that would be impossible for either of them to cross.  
  
But each seemed deadlocked...unwilling or unable to make the move, to take the next step.  
  
Closing her eyes against the stinging of her hands Tifa welcomed the distraction...there were probably jagged bits of pewter lodged in her palms...this would require her immdiate attention...leaving thoughts of Vincent on the back burner.  
  
For now...  
  
--  
  
Why can't we stay together Give me a reason Give me a reason.  
  
I, I don't wanna say it I don't wanna find another way Make it trough the day without you It's just another day  
  
--  
  
The snow crunched softly under her feet as she followed the only other pair of tracks out to the field, they stood out in the middle of the field alone by themselves, much like the owner of these tracks who would stand a lone in a crowd, who though part of their bizzare fellowship to save the world still prefered solitude...or so she'd thought.  
  
Having no real place to go Vincent had returned to Nibelhiem with Cloud and Tifa, taking up residence in the old Shinra Mansion he figured it suited his needs...cold...lonely...a perfect prison of solitude, though Vincent managed to feed off of it...take pleasure from it...survive in its cold all encompasing grip...how he did so she couldn't begin to imagine, her mind traveled back to the broken pewter mug and she looked down at her bandaged hands...then again maybe she understood him better then she thought.  
  
After Clouds departure Vincent had shown up at her door on a regular basis, at first Tifa reasoned he was merely offering her human companionship...a surprisingly warm gesture coming from him...they would eat meals together, go on walks occasionaly...even spend evenings in the Shinra Mansions library reading together, and as always wherever their destination took them Vincent always walked her back to her door.  
  
Conversation was limited, at first she'd wondered at his silence, trying to figure out his moods was not an easy task as he kept his face an unreadble mask, whether this was left over from his Turk Training or the signs of man ravaged by the hurt of time she couldn't be sure, but soon the need for talking between them grew less, they still made polite small talk, but as time progressed a deeper bond formed between them...one that didn't rely so much on words, as expression and body language, in partaking of this Tifa realized that she had been welcomed into his world.  
  
As The Shinra Mansion had no running water Vincent would come to her apartment each morning and evening to shower, at first Tifa merely accepted the fact...but slowly she began to think about him...up there alone under the running water...soon her simple thoughts turned quite vivid...and now whenever she heard him in the shower her thoughts progressed to full blown fantasy...the likes of which she could never tell him about.  
  
In the beginning Vincent had locked the bathroom door, prefering to take no chances on intrusion during his privacy, but as their bond progressed Tifa sensed a change in his guard and his mood, sometimes she would catch him staring at her out of the corner of her eye...other times she could swear he was watching her from the corners of his own eyes...now he'd grown so bold as to allow her to catch him looking at her...and she the same...and now when she listened to Vincent make his way up the stairs and down the hall to her bathroom she listened for the click of the lock being turned in place...and now more often then not there was no click...the door was not locked...was it merely Vincent forgetting to lock the door? had he become so complacent in day to day life? Or was this an invitation...an unlocked door to enter and make her fantasy a reality...  
  
There was only one way to find out...  
  
--  
  
Making the time Find the right lines What do I have to tell you  
  
--  
  
The air was cold and crisp, causing her to cough when she'd first set foot outdoors, but now that she'd adjusted to the chill in the air she found her travel much easier though she was bundled up tightly with the exception of her hands which sported white bandages, her breath a warm fog trailing out of her mouth much like the smoke from her foul mouthed friend and pilot of the highwind Cid, such a comparison brought a flicker of a smile to her face, but as she climbed over a small rise in the field and saw Vincent her smile turned into an "O" of surprise.  
  
He was standing shirtless in the middle of the snowy field, the cold weather that gave her a slight chill even through a layer of warm clothing seemed not to faze him, sweat ran in rivulets down his face and bare chest, his cybernectic apendage seemed equally uneffected by the cold, Tifa saw for the first time the twisted and cruel yet precision work of Hojo...his tinkerings with Vincents mortal body had resulted in the mechanical part of Vincent as unnatural as it was appear...natural...as if it had belonged there all his life, it was beautiful she decided as she gazed in awe at his chisled stomach, rock hard muscle stood out and even from her half hidden position she could see no body fat on him...just muscle.  
  
In addition to her surprise at seeing him shirtless she was additionly surprised to see the sword in his hand...using it with the expertise that only a true swordsman could equal he weaved firm and steadily slow patterns slicing the air, his muscles tense he was clearly in another place at the moment, and watching him Tifa was sweapt up in the graceful way he handled the blade...a small Katana that could easily sever a mans arm if put to such use.  
  
Coming to stop at the top of the rise she watched him...hypnotized by his movements, so caught up in him she didn't notice when his head turned her way as if sensing he was not alone, a slight flicker in his eyes told her that he did not mind her intrusion on his practice, with a movement that she would have missed had she blinked he sheathed the sword, picking up his shirt from the snowy ground he tied it around his waist and slowly approached her.  
  
However as he got close enough to see the bandages on her hands his paced quickened until he was standing in front of her, taking her hands gently in his own his eyes expressed concern, then slowly he began to unwrap the bandages from her hands until he could take in the angry red cuts where the pewter had sliced her skin, he looked up into her eyes as if silently asking why, holding her gaze he reached into his pocket and withdrew a small shimmering orb of green, his fingers gently tracing the deep cuts on her hands, taking both her hands in his he placed the green orb in between her palms and cupped his hands around hers in turn, she was surprised to discover his hands were warm despite the cold around them.  
  
Slowly a warmth began to gather in their hands, Tifa realized he was using a cure spell on her, and by the time his hands drew away from hers the damage had been repaired, slowly he uncurled her hands and returned the Materia to his pocket, raising his eyes to meet hers again he motioned towards the house with a barely perceptable nod of his head, locked in his gaze it was all she could do to nod in return, taking her arm gently in his he helped her down the slippery rise in the hill, at the bottom he released her from his grip but stayed close to her side The contact between them sent a warm glow up her arm, and when Vincent released her and took up position beside her Tifa felt as though she had been deprived of something that made her complete...his touch.  
  
She knew then without a doubt that it was time to cross the growing rift in between them, even if it cost them their friendship, she knew it was a risk she had to take.  
  
--  
  
I'm just trying to hold on to something (Trying to hold on to something good) Give us a chance to make it.  
  
Don't wanna hold on to never I'm not that strong I'm not that strong  
  
--  
  
Night had fallen, as usual Tifa had taken refuge in her favorite chair by the window, from this vantage point she could see Vincent's approach from the mansion across the street, pretending to read she watched him approach and stop outside her door, without knocking he entered and closed the door behind him, giving her a small nod of greeting he walked past her and upstairs to the bathroom.  
  
Normaly Tifa would have taken this opportunity to go to the kitchen and begin preperations for dinner, when Vincent finished he would come down and help her, then the two would enjoy a quiet dinner before returning to The Mansion Library, some nights Vincent would even produce a bottle of wine that they would drink sparingly from as they enjoyed each others company and the fire.  
  
But tonight Tifa had other plans.  
  
Listening quietly she found was almost impossible over the beating of her own heart, listening for that small click the signified the locking of the door, if he did then all the courage she'd worked up would be all for naught...but as she listened over the pounding of her own heart she heard the water come on upstairs and Vincent slip in to the tub, standing up perhaps too quickly she approached the bottom of the stairs and gazed up...  
  
Slipping out of her boots she began to climb the stairs barefoot...  
  
As she approached the halfway point between the middle of the stairs and the second floor she slipped her white tanktop over her head and let it fall to the stairs...she wore nothing underneath.  
  
At the top of the stairs she slid the leather minskirt down over her hips and to the floor, as with her tanktop she wore nothing underneath. Pausing outside the bathroom door she took a deep breath to calm herself, what if the door had been locked and she hadn't heard it? Here she would be standing naked outside the bathroom door...what a fool she would look!  
  
There was only one way to find out...hand trembling she reached out and tested the door knob.  
  
The door opened with a barely audible click...with one more deep breath Tifa cast her fears and doubts aside and stepped inside, the steam from the hot water filled the bathroom and carressed her skin...but that wasn't the carress she longed to feel, shutting the door behind her Tifa moved to the shower...  
  
--  
  
I, I don't wanna say it I don't wanna find another way Make it trough the day without you I, I can't resist Trying to find exactly what I miss It's just another day without you.  
  
--  
  
She drew the shower curtain back slowly, giving him time to react, he turned and when he saw her the unreadble mask of his face was for a second lowered, his eyes widened ever so briefly in...what was it? Surprise? Fear? She stood before him completely nude waiting for his silent permission.  
  
He was perfect...from his head to his feet there was no flaw that she could see on his body, his cybernetic appendage be damned, it was beautiful just like the rest of him, his eyes gazed deeply into hers as if peering into her very soul for an explanation for her actions, but then his gaze calmed and softened as he realized that he not only knew the reasons for her actions...he shared them, stepping aside he allowed her room to join him, the tub being big enough to fit them both.  
  
She stepped into the tub and pulled the curtain shut, standing in front of his she stood looking into his eyes, then raising a hand she slowly ran her fingers over the line of his jaw tracing the outline, her fingers slowly trailed down his throat and then her hand down his chest stopping at his hips.  
  
"Tifa" the word was more of a rush of air escaping his mouth as she drew closer  
  
"Vincent..." she whispered tracing his lips with her finger, then raising her head she pressed her lips to his.  
  
It was the sweetest kiss she'd ever known.  
  
His good arm wrapped around her waist, reluctant to touch her with what he considered his disgusting apendage he was surprised as she took it firmly in her own hand and encouraged him to follow suit with his other hand, all the while never breaking the kiss.  
  
When they finally broke the kiss there was a look like no other she'd ever seen in his eyes, reaching out she grabbed the bar of soap from the side of the tub and began to wash away the dirt and sweat of the day from his body, kneading his muscles and massaging his back she pressed herself close to him, when she'd finished he took the bar of soap from her and proceeded to do the same.  
  
His soapy hands caressed her body, paying extra attention to her breasts, coaxing her nipples to hardness he pressed himself closely to her, she could tell he was beginning to give in to the pleasure as she felt him growing hard.  
  
When he'd finished washing her throughly she captured his lips in a kiss her fingers tracing their way down his chest this time going past his hips until her hand wrapped firmly around him, causing him to groan against her lips, taking this as a sign of pleasure she moved her hand back and forth eliciting another groan against her lips, which she echoed as she felt him growing harder in her hand.  
  
To her surprise he broke the kiss, with his good hand he gently detached her hand from him, when she gazed up at him questioningly he pressed a finger to her lips, shutting the water off he picked her up, carrying her easily as if she weighed little more then a feather, her head began to spin as she realized he was carrying her towards her bedroom...her fantasy was about to come true.  
  
--  
  
Why can't you stay forever Just give me a reason Give me a reason.  
  
--  
  
Laying her gently on the bed Vincent stared down at her, smiling up at him Tifa spread her legs ever so slightly offering herself to him, it was all the invitation he needed, lowering himself gently on top of her he slid into her.  
  
A shuddering sigh of pleasure escaped from her mouth and she whispered his name as she felt him fill her completely, his body trembled against hers as he began a slow and steady pace, his lips and tongue gently caressing her nipples then moving towards her lips.  
  
The kiss took her breath away and she began to whimper against his lips, her tongue explored the inside of his mouth only to be met by his, intertwining like their bodies against the sheets they danced against each other, sliding and caressing.  
  
A light sheen of sweat began to break out on her skin as she felt her beat quicken, his pace quicken, she could feel his body as well beginning to sweat, the moisture between them allowed their bodies to slide against each other, back and forth, the feel of his bare skin against his was like the touch of the softest silk.  
  
Caressing her face with his good hand he planted soft kisses on her neck, nipping at the skin, holding himself in place with his other hand, his breathing quickened and he realized he was on the verge of losing control.  
  
Likewise Tifa's breath was coming in short gasps, her moans were growing in pitch and volume, she was on a rollercoaster ride that was going nowhere but up, and as his pace quickened she did her best to match each thrust of his hips with her own, but after another moment she realized that was spilling over the edge into a mind numbing world of pleasure, her cries echoed throughout the room his name spilling from her lips repeatedly as their bodies reached climax at the same time and they shared a journey unlike anything they'd ever experienced before...  
  
--  
  
An hour later she dozed lightly in his arms, though a fresh blanket of snow covered the ground outside their bodies provided more then enough heat to make even the silk bed sheet atop of them seem like a wool blanket, Tifa opened her eyes and smiled as she saw Vincent next to her, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling gently, casting her glance outside she watched the snow fall in the moonlight, then with a sigh of comfort she closed her eyes and nestled herself as close as she could to him.  
  
And slept.  
  
--  
  
When you come home I breath a little faster Every time we're together It'd never be the same If you're not here  
  
-FIN- 


	2. Chapter 2

AN: What can I say but "Wow" I really want to thank everyone who took the time to leave their thoughts and feelings on this story, it made this fanfic the single most rewarding thing I've written here in all my years on Fanfic, your wonderful reviews in mind I decided to try and write another Chapter and see how it goes over, perhaps there could be an adventure in the works here?  
  
Time will tell  
  
-Lotuss Tears-  
  
The winter frost on the window covered the panes with natures cryptic designs, one could stare at them for an eternity searching for a reason or meaning in them and come up empty, outside the sun had just begun its journey from behind the mountains, soon the warmth would banish the icy patterns from the glass and any meaning to be divined from them would vanish along with it.  
  
It was a cycle that occurred every morning in Nibelheim, and for Vincent Valentine the coming and going of these beautiful designs was part of his morning rituals, he didn't observe them with the intent of divining hidden messages from the planet, he had already reached a level of intimacy with the planet then most brave men would dare, traversing underground pathways that had led him deep inside of the planet.  
  
No rather then seek what he knew he couldn't understand he used the designs as a point to focus on, admiring the natural beauty he searched through the dark corridors of his mind where he had previously dared not tread, and every time he ventured down these dark places of his mind he found his destination was always the same.  
  
Her face.  
  
  
  
He found himself thinking more about her day by day, her face was the light at the end of the darkened tunnels of his mind, she lifted him up from the depths of despair with a simple smile, made his heart race with a mere look.  
  
These new feelings radiating from his once dormant heart terrified him, confused him, they exhilarated him!  
  
Her love made him feel less a monster and more a man.  
  
  
  
On this morning Vincent held a mug of hot tea balanced in his hand and golden claw, a dim light from the window penetrated the frost on the window and formed a pool of light around his mechanical appendage causing it to glow radiantly, Paying it no heed Vincent was lost deep in thought, thinking of Tifa his lips twitched upwards in a momentary smile that was both genuine and alien to him.  
  
His mind traveled back to the previous month when she had confronted him in the shower, something that he had both dreaded and fantasized.  
  
He had kept such fantasies at bay with thoughts that he was not worthy or desirable in such a manner, he didn't deserve her love, a monster like him! He had no right!  
  
But Tifa had other idea's, Vincent had grown complacent with their relationship, comfortable in her presence, such a confession was a triumph of the heart for once such as him to find peace in human companionship, Tifa was a valued friend and the fact that she stayed in Nibelheim with him was a labor that he was eternally grateful for, despite his quiet and sometimes anti-social tendencies he had been secretly thankful for her continuous presence...deep down in his dormant heart he feared life alone again.  
  
The world was a painful place, though he hadn't aged as time passed his sins had grown older and heavier as the years increased in number, but with Tifa's love he knew he'd found the one thing he'd sought so desperately over the years.  
  
Redemption.  
  
  
  
The soft sound of her footsteps on the stairs pulled him from his thoughts, without opening his eyes he listened to her move quietly through the house towards where he sat in the dimly lit kitchen, he sensed her presence as she entered the room and his heartbeat quickened before even seeing her, then her hand was on his shoulder and her chin resting on his shoulder, he felt her take a deep breath, pulling her head from his shoulder she leaned down and kissed his cheek and then leaning in further she kissed him on the lips.  
  
"Good morning" she said letting her face rest against his cheek, a gesture that once upon a time would have made him feel uneasy  
  
  
  
"Good morning" he responded softly, though they still went about the majority of their day in a mutual quiet there were times when conversation was slipped in, the morning after they had made love for the first time she had spoken to him "Good morning" she'd said softly as they laid in eachothers arms in a warm pile of blankets, at first Vincent merely stared back at her, but after a moment he'd realized that it truly was a good morning.  
  
In the days to come Vincent would lay in bed until she woke, but never one to sleep past the early hours of dawn he soon crept silently out of bed and down to the kitchen where he dwelled quietly in his thoughts until Tifa rose with the sun, thus their morning ritual had evolved as she came down to find him at the kitchen table every morning, kissing him she would then go about preparing breakfast and when he had finished his tea Vincent would join her.  
  
Vincent disliked nothing about this routine but on this morning he'd decided to try something different, secretly he prayed she wouldn't shun what he was about to try, the friendship had blossomed into something much more, something beautiful yet still delicate.  
  
As Tifa moved past him he saw she had his red cape wrapped around her, he reached out with his good hand and gently brushed his fingers across her wrist, Tifa stopped abruptly and turned around with a questioning look in her eyes, rising from the table he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently, then leaning in he kissed her deeply allowing his love for her to show in its entirety, when he broke the kiss he found her looking up at him.  
  
  
  
"Vincent?" she spoke softly with a smile on her face and a look in her eyes that expressed the longing he'd brought to the surface  
  
  
  
"Let's let breakfast wait," he said tracing her lips with his finger  
  
The look in her eyes was quickly turning from longing to something very different, with a barely perceptible nod she expressed her agreement, it was enough for Vincent, sweeping her off her feet red cape and all he carried her out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards the bedroom.  
  
  
  
Tifa who had lived the majority of her life as a fiercely independent woman found herself relaxing in his arms, a year ago she would have struggled against such an attempt from any man, but being in his arms was not a gesture of weakness she knew he would never do anything to hurt her, nestled in his arms was the safest place in the world, she smiled as he carried her up the stairs and into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed.  
  
Looking up at him she smiled warmly, she knew he cared about her and never refused her affections but this was the first time he had made such an advance, she was both surprised and curious at what he had in mind, as she looked up him she watched his lips part.  
  
  
  
"Do you trust me?"  
  
  
  
The question surprised her momentarily but taking his hand she kissed his knuckles  
  
  
  
"Yes"  
  
  
  
The look in his eyes was one of relief as if for a moment he'd doubted her answer, reaching down he gently untangled her from his red cape revealing her unclothed body underneath, she made no move to hide her nakedness from him allowing him to drink her in and basking in the warmth of his gaze that expressed his appreciation for her beauty, reaching down he tore a strip from his cape and tossed the rest aside, then he leaned down and placed the fabric over her eyes tying a loose knot behind her head banishing the world from her eyes.  
  
  
  
"I will not hurt you" he whispered softly in her ear and any bit of tension she felt from this unpredictable act melted away and was replaced by sweet anticipation, nothing like this had ever happened to her before.  
  
  
  
His lips found hers and claimed them in a heated kiss, groaning against his lips softly Tifa met his tongue with her own and felt herself lose all track of time, breathing was nothing but a distant thought as their tongues caressed and danced. When Vincent finally broke the kiss she found herself panting for breath, once she'd gotten her breathing under control she reached out for him unsure of where he was, his hands found hers and squeezed gently before lowering them to the bed, the seconds ticked by and then suddenly she gasped as he took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked gently his good hand caressing her other breast kneading and squeezing gently.  
  
  
  
"Ohhh Vincent" she sighed softly, then arched her back as his tongue flicked out over her nipple circling gently, his hand squeezing her other nipple gently, she could feel them hardening in his mouth and hand as he teased them with quick licks and tugs, then releasing her nipple from his mouth he trailed warm kisses up her chest and throat to her lips and captured them in another heated kiss that made her head spin, unable to see or even predict his next move frustrated her but excited her at the same time, she began to feel a warmth growing in between her legs.  
  
Breaking the kiss he began to trail his kisses slowly down her throat pausing to nip at the skin of her neck and then continuing down her body, allowing the seconds to draw out between kisses, she shifted her hips ever so slightly wondering when the next kiss would come, his tongue flicked out above her belly button causing a shiver to race down her spine and her back to arch off the bed ever so slightly.  
  
  
  
"Vincent" she said shivering slightly allowing his name to roll off her lips  
  
  
  
The kisses trailed lower and though the seconds drew out in between their path never wavered, she gasped again as he kissed the inside of her thighs and snaked his tongue out against the sensitive skin there, his hand caressing the inside of her opposite thigh.  
  
Though she was blind Tifa had never felt more alive, his kisses and gentle stokes were coaxing the warmth between her legs, warmer and warmer still till she felt as if she was on fire, her breath coming faster now in soft pants she almost lost control when his tongue suddenly snaked out over the mound between her legs, her body spasmed in surprise and her hips arched off the bed, a cry of pleasure and surprise spilling from her mouth.  
  
  
  
"Ohhh!"  
  
The teasing licks lasted for several moments, Vincent pausing only long enough to make her wonder what he would do next, just when she thought he would stop he surprised her again and then suddenly his tongue slipped inside her.  
  
Tifa's own cry of pleasure surprised her, never before had she felt the likes of the sensations Vincent was showing her, her head swam and her thoughts turned incoherent, it was as if she was in the grip of some magic that held her solely in Vincent's grip, her breath coming in quick pants she was on the verge of screaming when Vincent suddenly stopped, she heard the rustling of clothing and then his hand caressing her face, slowly he removed the blindfold from her eyes.  
  
His face was the first thing she saw, she greeted him with a warm smile and pulled him down to her lips, groaning he kissed her deeply his hand parting her legs ever so slightly, he looked at her with eyes asking permission which she gave with a quick nod of her head, heart pounding she threw her head back and whispered his name as he entered her beginning a slow but steady pace which she readily met.  
  
For that sweat moment in time the past was a simple memory, the future didn't matter, all that existed was two bodies tangled in the sheets in a delicious fog of passion, both soared higher and higher until finally they collapsed in eachothers arms, Vincent trembled softly as she put her arms around him and pulled him close, once the simple gesture would have made him pull away, she'd been reluctant to try to pull him into her arms but to her surprise he'd not only allowed it but welcomed it.  
  
Laying in eachothers arms their breathing soon returned to normal, basking in a warm glow Tifa felt her eyes growing heavy, Vincent's breathing had slowed his eyes closed, feeling as though everything was right in the world Tifa closed her eyes and faded away into sleep.  
  
--  
  
Much later Tifa opened her eyes, looking around the room she saw it was early afternoon, Vincent's spot next to her was empty though this didn't surprise her, he quite often left before she woke, their routine had been broken for the day so he was probably out in the field training like he did every day without fail, Tifa closed her eyes again and lay back on the bed with a smile.  
  
She gave silent thanks that she'd been able to find the courage to take their friendship to the next level and thanks that what they'd had hadn't been destroyed in the process, she didn't know what she would have done had Vincent became angry and told her to get out, such a reaction would have ruined their friendship and shattered what they'd built for themselves in the lonely town of Nibelheim.  
  
But their friendship had quickly blossomed into something else, something Tifa hadn't dared to expect, Vincent was beginning to emerge from his shell, though through small smiles and kind gestures it was still a marvel to watch him find his humanity that he thought he'd lost so long ago. Stretching out in bed Tifa was reluctant to leave the bed especially after what had just happened, she wanted to lay there wrapped in the memory and basking in the warm glow.  
  
With a groan she kicked the covers off, Vincent had left a fire going in their room but winters in Nibelheim had a way of ignoring that warmth and settling into ones bones if they weren't careful, Tifa dressed quickly in a pair of denim jeans and a long sleeved black sweater, by the time she'd finished she was hungry, breakfast had been replaced by something far more delicious but her stomach was none the happier for it.  
  
As she walked out of the bedroom Cloud entered her mind, he often did these days but now when thoughts of him filled her mind there was no anger, no ache, he'd made his choice and she could no longer blame him for it, after all she'd made her own choice as well, she could only hope he was as happy as she was, and had at least found solace and a warm place to stay for the winter.  
  
Her stomach growled and forced the thoughts of the blond haired soldier from her mind, she thought of Vincent and the effort brought a smile to her face.  
  
She hoped he wouldn't be away for too much longer.  
  
--  
  
His sword whirled in quick patterns that would have given a wutai swordsmaster reason to pause.  
  
Standing in the midst of the snowy field stripped to the waist Vincent began the dance that he performed every day surrounded only by pure solitude, it was only with the utmost of discipline that he didn't feel the cold of winter, only the sweat as it rolled down his back.  
  
Though his body was in tune with the sword his mind was as always a separate entity from his physical performances with the blade, his thoughts drifted from here to there, He wondered of Cloud and where the young man's wanderings had taken him, Vincent knew well the burdens the Ex Soldier must have been feeling with the loss of the ancient, and how he very well could have felt the burden of her death resting squarely on his own shoulders.  
  
Stopping the sword in mid swing he reversed and spun it to the left and then the right, the whole process took only a matter of seconds and to the average bystander (Had their been any in the ghost town of Nibelheim) it would have been missed in the time of the blink of an eye, the sword sliced the air with a soft whoosh, it was a kind of music to his ears and made Vincent realize why he'd picked it up again after so long.  
  
The Turks had discouraged swords, guns were the only tool for the job, quick, quiet, nothing personal in a bullet, hell you didn't even have to see the victims face, less chance of becoming attached to the target which was something they also discouraged, a Turk was a killing machine guided by anything but his morals, better greed then morals, the thought of what he had been made Vincent feel sick.  
  
The thought of what he was becoming made Vincent feel afraid.  
  
A man again, after all these years he could feel the love of a woman and a life of his and her choosing, it was almost too good to be true but yet here he was, he felt as though he had found paradise, and in the last place he would have expected to find it...the same place that had taken his life and turned his world upside down, yes he'd found paradise.  
  
"But how long will it last?"  
  
He stopped abruptly his pattern broken, holding the sword upright in a defensive position he looked around for the source of the voice, after a moment he realized that the voice had been his own...  
  
"How long?" he repeated  
  
Vincent had developed an extremely strong sense of pessimism in his years with the Turks, though he felt emotion there was a heavy sense of depression and dispassion weighing down on him, some nights he lay awake in bed wondering if this was what it felt like to be a robot, casting a quick glance at his arm he smiled mirthlessly...he knew the answer to that question now.  
  
Shaking his head Vincent cleared away the fog of hopelessness, Tifa was waiting for him back at the Mansion, a woman who had never turned him away and didn't shun him for what he was, the very thought made him feel even more human, something magical was occurring in his mind and it was going to take a good long while for him to let go of the old ways that had governed his life.  
  
Sheathing his sword he began to the two mile walk back to Nibelheim when suddenly he stopped, over the years his instinct had been sharpened and with good reason, Vincent came out to the woods to be alone, to practice alone, and to dwell in his thoughts alone...pausing he sniffed the air, nothing was out of place as far as he could tell, unless there was someone out there who didn't want to be seen.  
  
Vincent didn't doubt his instincts, something was amiss. Doubling his pace he walked briskly down the snowy trail keeping his footing where others would have fallen.  
  
His only concern was Tifa.  
  
--  
  
"He knows something is wrong"  
  
The first man said putting down the binoculars and turning to the three others, they were clad in the garb of tired travelers, ripped and torn they looked like they hadn't seen a bath and bed for years, but the hardened resolve in their eyes was not that of a wandering traveler but that of a trained killer.  
  
"I thought I told all of you to come here quietly!" the man snarled, he was clad in a black long coat that hung down to his ankles, clad in simple black garb under this and a hood that covered his face, he brushed a rebellious strand of hair from his face "If Vincent feels that the slightest thing is amiss then our plan is useless! We need to surprise him!"  
  
"We came without a sound" one of the ragged men whispered "Just as we promised"  
  
"You better have I don't have time for incompetence!" the hooded man growled "Time is not a luxury we have now, I want you two to go take care of the woman! I want her dead by the time he gets back to Nibelheim, that is "IF" he makes it back to Nibelheim" the hooded man said gesturing to the man who had spoken.  
  
Without a word the ragged man turned and vanished into the woods with a speed that astounded even the hooded man  
  
"You two" he said to the remaining men "Go kill Vincent! I don't care how you do it as long as he dies...and let me make one thing abundantly clear gentlemen! Failure is most certainly not an option! If you fail to kill him...you'd best be dead"  
  
With barely perceptible nods the two men turned and vanished into the woods, they were fearless that much was true but the hooded man knew how to inspire fear, with a grin he watched the retreating forms of the ragged men, twin red orbs where his eyes had once been seemed to burn, opening his mouth he smelled the air, twin fangs glistened in the sunlight.  
  
Soon the woods would reek with the smell of fear.  
  
Vincent's fear. 


	3. A serpent comes unto Eden

My apologies as i continue to update with inhuman slowness lol, thank you all who took the time to share with me your thoughts and feelings on my work, a big shout out to Zelda Six, thank you all, you people are and continue to be an inspiration.

Tifa smiled as she heard the door open, lifting the tea kettle from the burner she began to pour a cup for Vincent but suddenly she stopped.

Something was wrong...

The footsteps padding softly across the floor were not Vincent's, she listened as they moved slowly towards her and then stopped, she was in mid turn when something rushed past her ear and stuck into the wall.

Dropping into a defensive crouch Tifa spun to face her attacker, behind her the small knife quivered in the wall from the force of impact, it would have buried itself in the back of her head she realized.

Her attacker was dressed in a brown tattered robe and equally tattered shoes, he was already reaching for another dagger. As he drew the small blade into his hands Tifa stopped thinking and began acting, hurling the kettle at her attacker she aimed for the hand holding the dagger, as quick as he was there was no time for him to dodge and he gave a muffled grunt of pain as the boiling kettle struck his hand with enough force to cause him to drop the dagger.

"What do you want!" Tifa said rising from her crouch and into a fighters stance, her attacker kept his silence and instead drew a sword from within his robe, moving straight forward he swung at her head with such speed that Tifa barely had the time to duck, she felt the blade whoosh over her head as she rolled to the left, already he was reversing the blade and as she came to her feet she had to lunge backwards to avoid the blade.

Her back struck the counter behind her and she realized she couldn't give any more ground, the ragged swordsman realized this too and twisted the sword towards her stomach, Tifa with only the slightest room to move dodged to the left, she felt the tip of the blade graze her side and felt something wet trickle down her side, but without wasting a moment she lunged forward and sent her fist crashing into the swordsmans jaw, he gave a muffled curse but kept his hold on the blade, ignoring the stinging pain in his jaw he swung the blade downwards trying to seperate her arm from the shoulder.

Tifa dove for the floor and skidded under the table, rolling out from under it just in time as the swordsman sliced it in half, she came to her feet and kicked a chair at him which he deflected with a backhand blow, in the time this took she launched a roundhouse kick at his head, but to her surprise he ducked and as she spun he came up behind her clamping his arm across her throat, but before he could bring the blade across her jugular she ground her heel down on his foot and drove her elbow into his ribs, bringing her head back she slammed it into his face, then grabbing his arm she flipped him over and into the remains of the broken table.

"What do you want!" Tifa yelled angrily kicking the fallen man in the ribs as he tried to roll away, grabbing his sword from the floor she brought it down to his throat, the ragged man ceased his struggles at once but looked up at her without a trace of fear in his eyes.

"Don't take it personally" he said "I'm just following orders"

"You're in NO position to screw with me!" Tifa said growing more angry by the second, her peace had been shattered and now she wanted to know why...Vincent would too...

"Oh my god...Vincent!" Tifa gasped

The ragged man nodded

"He is being dealt with as we speak" he said making no effort to move

"Why!" Tifa commanded pressing the blade to his throat "Tell me or..."

"Or what?" The ragged man suddenly snarled "You'll kill me? I don't think so...if you were going to do that you would have done it by now"

"If you don't tell me exactly why you're after us in the next breath i will kill you!" Tifa swore

"You'll get nothing from me Bitch" the man said with a deadly calm "I am prepared for death"

"Glad to hear it" Tifa said narrowing her eyes and focusing all her anger into one final blow, Raising the sword over her head she brought it down with lightning speed.

Vincent sensed the two men long before the dagger buried itself in a tree next to him, as it was the blade narrowly missed his throat but he was sure it was merely a warning shot giving the two men time to step onto the path in front and behind him.

"State your business and begone" Vincent said his voice a deadly calm "Do so and you may leave with your lives"

"You're death will suffice" the first said drawing his sword

"And the life of your loved one" The second echoed drawing his blade and moving in

They were dressed in ragged clothing but didn't seem to feel the cold, and the looks in their eyes proved that they were more then simpler travelers, Vincent noticed their blades could only be the work of a Wutai swordsmaster, perfectly balanced they were virtually indestructable in the hands of a master.

A soft hiss filled the air as Vincent drew his own blade, holding his other hand behind his back he held the blade steady with his other.

"My own life is of little consequence" he snarled "But threatning Tifa has insured your deaths!"

The two ragged men stalked forward closer and closer, Vincent waited and watched as they drew closer, then before they could blink he drew the dagger from the back of his belt and hurled it at the closest swordsman, the man raised his blade to deflect the dagger and Vincent struck with the quickness of a snake, his sword cut a deep wound in the swordsmans chest and the man cried out in pain staggering backwards.

Vincent turned in time to block a flurry of lunges and stabs from the second swordsman, even holding the blade with both hands Vincent found it was difficult to keep up with the swordsman, it had been almost thirty years since he'd used a blade in combat, as disciplined as he was with the sword his opponent was clearly more efficient in using it.

Blocking right then left Vincent turned his opponents blade away just in time to avoid an attack from the first man who had recovered, together the two of them began to press him backwards, soon Vincent had taken a deep gash on his arm that was bleeding freely in the snow, his anger growing it was all he could do to stay focused, he had to stick to the defense and hope of his attackers made a mistake.

The mistake came moments later as one of the ragged men drew too close, Vincent blocked his thrust and grabbed his attackers hand with his golden claw, bone crunched as he crushed the bones of the hand holding the sword, his attacker tried to back away choking off a gurgling scream of pain in his throat but Vincent rammed his sword into his stomach and pulled up on his arm, with a sickening crunch and the sound of tearing flesh the arm was ripped from the socket and dangled lifelessly in Vincents mechanical hand.

His attacker's mouth formed an "O" of shock before he fell to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut and lay still, his lifes blood spilling out onto the white snowy ground.

In a dim corner of his mind Vincent was shocked, but that part was quickly overridden by his anger, these men had threatened Tifa! Death was too good for them! The seconed attacker advanced slower now, more weary of his opponent and a flicker of fear in his eyes he stabbed at Vincent who angrily swatted the sword aside, his anger was fueling him now...making him stronger...quicker.

"Who sssent you!" he hissed at the swordsman unaware that his teeth had changed to pointed fangs

"It doesn't matter!" the ragged man said in defiance...though he took a step backwards when Vincent uttered an unearthly snarl.

"Lassst chance!" he growled the skin on his hands beginning to twist and snarl "Who sssent you!"

"S-Stay back!" the man said obviously shaken as Vincent began to transform before his very eyes "Stay back you freak!" his voice shrill and high pitched with fear

A hideous scream shattered the tranquilty and stillness of the afternoon, the sounds of flesh being torn from bone followed.

The man moved quicker then Tifa thought possible, as the sword flashed down a dagger appeared in his hand and blocked the chop that would have seperated his head from his shoulders.

The sword in her hands shattered as it bounced off the dagger and the ragged man leapt to his feet, launching a stiff kick to her stomach, Tifa doubled over as the air was forced from her lungs, she felt herself thrown through the air, hitting the floor she rolled out of the kitchen and struck something hard in the hallway that gave way with a loud crack, she dimly realized it was a bookcase as the hardcover books rained down around her, she felt a sharp pain in her side and realized that one of her ribs had given out, something heavy clucnked on the floor not far from her head.

She could hear her attacker cursing as he made his way through the wreckage of the kitchen, raising her head she saw that her fall had destroyed a bookcase, but it had also knocked Vincent's gun to the floor, she uttered a silent prayer of thanks that Vincent kept his guns in secure locations throughout the house, he never truely let his guard down she realized, grabbing the gun she tore it from the holster just as the ragged man appeared in the doorway..raising the gun she fired off three shots.

The ragged man jerked back three times as the bullets found their mark and buried themselves into his chest, he fell back into the kitchen and hit the floor clutching at his chest and crying out in pain, Tifa got to her feet and tried to steady her shaking legs, staggering into the kitchen she stood over her defeated attacker who was clinging to life by a thin thread.

"Who sent you!" she cried pointing the gun down at him, but he glared up at her with the same look of defiance

"I piss on your lovers grave" he said weakly, turning his head to the side he spat a wad of blood

"Bastard!"

Tifa pulled the trigger and the ragged mans body jerked again, pulling the trigger again and again Tifa vented her rage.

Her attacker was dead long before the last bullet was fired...but Tifa didn't stop until she heard the hollow click of the empty pistol.

She found him collapsed in an unconciouse heap in the midst of a bloody pile of snow, for one terrifying moment she thought she'd reached him too late.

"Please be ok...Oh god Vincent!" she cried out as she collapsed at his side.

His chest was rising and falling steadily

"Oh thank god!" Tifa said trying to wipe away the tears in her eyes.

He was covered in blood as was the snow around him, the corners of his mouth were smeared with it, looking up she saw he'd been in the process of staggering down a hill when his legs had given out from under him and he'd rolled the rest of the way down and fallen unconcious.

"Tifa..." his voice was barely a whisper

"Vincent thank god!" Tifa cried "What happened?"

"Attacked...Two swordsman...Killed one...Chaos broke free..."

If his words of the attack troubled her the news of Chaos chillled her to the bone.

"Second got away..." Vincent said with more strength in his voice "Chaos was...furious...he tore the corpse of the first to bits...and gorged himself...I was scared...for you...allowed him to get...out"

Vincent had been scared? For her? Tifa craddled his head in her arms ignoring the bloody snow around them

"I'm ok Vincent...one of them came for me but i killed him...with your gun"

Vincent nodded a look of relief on his face

"We're not safe...here"

Tifa had dreaded the words, she'd come to love life among the ghosts of Nibelhiems past, as long as she'd had Vincent she didn't care about anything else, but she couldn't deny the truth of his words, thier attackers had obviously been acting under orders...and one of them had managed to escape.

"We need to get you back inside" she said rising to her feet "We'll figure out what to do from there"

"I...I can walk" Vincent said trying to get to his feet, he staggered the first few steps and Tifa feared he would collapse again, but with the support of her arm he was able to keep his footing, the look in his eyes was that of a man on the verge of collapse, but with whispered words of encouragement she was able to get him to the door of the old Shinra mansion before he collapsed back into unconciousness.

Her eyes were heavy but fear kept her wide awake as she took care of his wounds and washed the blood from his body, by the time she'd gotten him into bed and collapsed beside him it was all she could do to keep her eyes open, but the thought of another one of the ragged men lurking in the dark outside was enough to keep her alert, though her knowledge of the martial arts was perhaps the most finely tuned on the planet she hunted until she found Vincent's rifle...the death penalty...there were only two ways into the bedroom...a window and the doorway...if the third attacker found his way through either portal she could easily punch a hole through him with the rifle...if he lived past that she would kill him with her bare hands!

Vincent awoke with a start, he was halfway to his feet when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder

"It's alright" Tifa whispered "You've been resting...Your body needed to recover"

Vincent felt physically ill, the churning in his stomach was the usual result of the possession of his demons, turning he saw Tifa sitting next to him with the death penalty sitting in her lap, he realized with a start that she'd watched over him as he slept, she hadn't abandonded him...the hardened look in her eyes abruptly vanished and suddenly she tilted forward, Vincent sweapt her into his arms as she began to cry

"I was terrified i'd lost you!" she cried into his shoulder "I can't bare the thought of losing you!"

He wanted to tell her he felt the same but the words froze in his throat as he was overcome by emotion, trying his best to cut it off he whispered in her ear.

"I wont ever leave you..."

Then raising her chin to his lips he kissed her, Tifa responded immdiately kissing him hungrily.

Clothes scattered to the floor and lovemaking insued, born of desperation and their mutual need for eachother, it was quick but gentle and afterwards they lay in eachothers arms huddled closely together.

"What do we do?" Tifa asked wearily raising her head to look at him

"We leave" Vincent said "Tomorrow at first light, we pack and leave before the sun rises"

"I'm sorry" Tifa said lowering her face to his shoulder and closing his eyes

"Don't be...Nibelheim is simply a place...it's not important...the important part is to stay a step ahead of our attackers" Vincent said

His words troubled her, Nibelheim was full of memories both good and bad for her...but most of all the memories of the life they had begun to build together, and she knew the place held memories for him as well...it was more then a "Place" it was both the birth and death of dreams for both of them.

"Where...where will we go?" she asked feeling sleep begin to creep over her

"Rocket town...it's the closest" Vincent said "If we've been attacked then chances are Cid has been as well"

"You...think someone is after...all of us?"

"I do"

"Strength in numbers..." she said trying unsucessfully to stifle a yawn

"Strength in sleep" Vincent said brushing his hand through her hair "Rest...we're going to have to leave soon"

"But...what...about..."

"I'll be fine" he said reading her thoughts "You rest...I'll keep you safe"

He didn't have to tell her twice, despite the horrors of the day she feel asleep on his chest, despite the potential harm that lurked around the corner his arms were still the safest place to be.

Not far on the outskirts of town twin red orbs watched the Shinra mansion, unblinking they watched the one light suddenly extinguish and plunge the room into darkness.

"That's right...sleep now" the voice chuckled "You'll need it Vincent...I'm nowhere near finished with you"

The figure chuckled turning and vanising into the surrounding woodland, leaving only his laughter echoing in his wake...laughter that sounded much like the hissing of a snake.


	4. A Bigger picture

Though the rest of the world was in the grip of a fading winter the cold had never touched the heart of this place.

Concepts such as "Weather" or even "Time" didn't seem to have much meaning in these empty halls where children once ran and played, where laughter once echoed off the walls...where life had once been abundant.

A figure in a brown robe and hood made his way down the hall to a giant pool in the center of the room, if he closed his eyes and focused he could almost hear the ehoes from the past, see smiling faces, beautiful children, but one face in particular always came to him when he closed his eyes...

(They will need you soon)

The voice came from nowhere yet everywhere at the same time, in this place of the Ancients it could only be the voice of the Cetra...

Though the voice was soft spoken there was subtle tone of urgency that didn't escape his notice

"You know i will serve you always" the figure said bowing his head as he came to stop in front of a calm pool of water surrounded by silver stone "But it is written that I cannot directly involve myself in human affairs any longer"

(The Cetra can no longer directly involve themselves in the matters of humans, we lacked a physical presence in the world now with...)

"With your death..." The hooded figure said with guilt clear in his voice

(Yes with my death)

There was a warmth in the voice that banished the guilt, holding onto such emotions in this place was futile, there was simply no reason to allow them free reign

"But i can hear you" the figure said "I thought only the Cetra could communicate amongst themselves"

(You are an anomaly...You possess a piece of Jenova as a result of Hojo's experiments...our bond when I was alive was a strong one...so strong that it could not be broken even in death...The Planet recognizes you as it's Gaurdian, and it will call upon you in it's time of need...now is such a time)

The pool in front of the figure began to shimmer, gazing down upon it he recognized Nibelhiem, as he watched he saw both the attacks on Vincent and Tifa, and though he couldn't see it he could sense a malicious presence lurking not far from sight.

"Who is responsible for this?" the figure asked feeling his chest tighten in anxiety

(All will be made clear in time)

"How can i help if i don't know who is responsible for this?" the figure asked

(The growing conflict will only allow you to play a small part, in the coming days there will be much joy and sorrow...it must be allowed to happen)

"But lives could be lost..." The figure said frustration beginning to creep into his voice

(Lives will be lost)

The voice replied calmly

(But such is life on the planet...it is natural for people to die)

"Not needlessly...not like the lives lost when Meteor and Holy collided!"

(Even those...death is merely an exit to the lifestream and true happiness...there is no such thing as a needless death)

"There was one..." The figure said lowering his head slighty as Vincent began to Transform into Chaos, he watched as the beast tore into the attackers with reckless abandon, with no concern for its well being or Vincents

(My death was the part i needed to play)

The cloaked figure sighed

"Once upon a time i would have said that was unacceptable, but the more time i spend here the more i feel the peace of the Cetra, I understand it was a part you needed to play..."

(Though you are not a Cetra you are beginning to accept the Cetra principles of fate One may not place their own needs above the needs of the many)

"What am i then? I died...but I am alive here and now...you say that I am not Cetra...then what am i?" the hodded figure asked

(You are many thing...you are a bridge between worlds...A conduit that the Cetra may speak through in order to protect the planet...You are the Planets Guardian)

The figure paused letting these words sink in, then with a nod he accepted the words for what they were.

His duty

"Tell me what part i need to play" he said, his tone was iron

(You will need to help them but you cannot reveal your presence to them yet...You must travel to Wutai)

"What must i do there?"

(The land stands in the shadow of a great evil...you must destroy it...an old foe seeks a weapon of great power...you must make sure he does not find it)

"Very well...I will leave quickly"

(Travel with great caution...the trails are no longer safe as they once were)

"It will take more then a few monsters to stop me" the figure said with resolve "I will return to you my love"

Turning on his heels the figure made his way out of the chamber, his heart beat a little faster as thoughts of days gone by and past adventures awoke again in his mind, his handed drifted to the weapon at his side.

The formidable Masamune...

A blade that could only be wielded by a true master.

Let peril come to him, let it come rushing headlong into him, he would meet it steadfast

And deal it death in return.

--

Tifa turned and looked over her shoulder one last time...

The melting snow sent up a fog over the town of Nibelhiem, she wondered if she looked close enough if she could make out the shapes of ghosts wandering through the empty streets, only god knew how many restless spirits inhabited the small town filled with sorrow and tragedy.

"Are you alright?"

The warm hand on her shoulder was an interuption from her sad thoughts...it was a welcome interruption.

"I was just...thinking" Tifa said "About the past"

Vincent nodded

"Something I have pondered for many years..."

"Do you think Nibelhiem will ever be the town it was before?"

"I don't know..." Vincent said and then after a moment of silence he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze "We should go...we need to put distance in between us and them, plus we need to see if Cid is ok"

"It will be good to see Cid again" Tifa said turning away and putting a cheerful smile on her face "I've missed that grumpy old man"

Vincent said nothing more as he urged the chocobo into motion, the golden bird gave a "Wark" of complience and broke into a run despite it's two passenger load.

Tifa wrapped her arms around Vincents waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

Looking back wouldn't help.

So she didn't.

AN: From here on out faithful reader the picture begins to get bigger, branching out from Vincent and Tifa we'll start to look in on the lives of other characters, this story is getting bigger then i'd ever imagined it would in my head and with your continued patience it will continue to unfold...slowly.


	5. Stubborn Jackasses and Presidents

Barret felt a sense of unease as he stepped out of the cab, standing in front of the Shinra Compound he fought against the memories that came flooding back whenever he set foot in Midgar, memories of Biggs, Jessie, Wedge...he'd said his goodbyes to the former Avalanche members as best as he could in his head and told himself he was at peace...but somewhere out there he knew there bodies were buried beneath the rubble.

He couldn't even give them all a proper burial.

The Shinra were to blame...those god damned Turks first and foremost.

But those had been the old days of Shinra, Barret reminded himself that he was here to help build a new Shinra, a better Shinra that didn't suck the life's blood of the planet like a twisted Corporate Vampire, Reeve was at the helm now and things were beginning to take shape, the old City of Midgar was rising out of it's own ashes like the preverbial pheonix.

"Still...Never thought i'd be making a deal with the damn Shinra" barret muttered to himself

Then again he'd never thought he'd be elected Mayor of Corel either.

Two men used to being in positions of Authority now found themselves thrust into the spotlight, This was one of the reasons Barret had come to like Reeve so well, he handled his workload with grace and fairness like a true leader should have.

Moving across the compound Barret fought against the unease, a light rain had begun to fall and thunder rumbled in the distance, but this wasn't the cause of his worry, the armed guards patrolling the area walking pairs was what disturbed him, this was his third trip here over the last two months and this was the first time he'd seen such a show of power from Reeve.

It looked like the compound was on lock down and accepting only important visitors, such profiling wasn't necessary in Barrets opinion.

(Unless something happened)

A small voice inside his head pondered, this disturbing thought caused him to quicken his pace, damn it if something had happened to Reeve there would be hell to pay!

One of the patrolling Soldiers saw him storming up the pathway and chased after him.

"Mister Wallace sir!"

Barret spun around narrowing his gaze

"What's with all the man power here kid? Did something happen to Reeve?"

"Sir i've been ordered to escort you as long as you're here, there was an attempt on the Presidents life last night and we've been ordered to double security for the time being"

"The hell!" Barret growled and redoubled his fast walk "Who attacked him? Is Reeve alright?"

"We're unsure as to who attacked him, and President Reeve is fine...he dispatched the Assassin himself" the Soldier said struggling to keep his pace with the larger man

"Why wasn't i informed?" Barret stopped as he came to the doors which required a key card to enter

"President Reeve felt it best if he kept contact to a minimum with all Avalanche members, his phones could be bugged and he doesn't want the rest of you getting hurt on his behalf"

"Stubborn Jackass" Barret growled punching his fist into his open palm, the fist smacked against the mechanical appendage that looked like a real functioning hand and fingers, most thought it was a real hand unless they were close enough to hear the soft whirring sounds of the gears at work, Barret found it useful though he prefered the snug feel of his gun arm in case the situation went array.

Barret supposed now that he was a dignitary that sitting down at the table to discuss deals with a gun on his person would make for some uncomfortable business dealings, he'd even gone as far as to change his speech to a less intimidating growl, this worked for the most part unless Barret was angry

Much like now...

"Hurry up with that damn door!" Barret growled as the Soldier slid it through the scanner

"President Reeve was uninjured Mister Wallace I assure you he's ok"

"He wont be when i'm done with em!" Barret said shoving his way past the Soldier as the door opened and marching down the hall past surprised Soldiers to Reeves office door, muttering all the while.

"Stupid Jackass...Gonna get hisself killed...not if i do it first" he muttered under his breath ignoring the Soldier struggling to keep up with him

Reeve had no idea of the thunder storm heading his way.

--

Reeve was going over paperwork when his door was flung open, his hand was halfway to the gun when he realized that it was an angry Barret Wallace that had nearly knocked the doors off the hinges.

"Jesus Barret" he said letting out a sigh of relief "That's a good way to get yourself shot"

"Sounds like someone already tried with you!" Barret shot back "When the hell were you going to let me in on this?"

Reeve motioned for the out of breath Soldier to close the doors, when they were closed he stood up and put a hand on the big mans shoulder as if to calm him.

"I wanted to keep it quiet until we were on our way" he said "If i broadcast the fact that i was attacked it might give others idea's to try the same thing, besides after facing the assassin I've come to the conclusion that this may not have been a simple assassination mission"

"An what makes you think dat!" Barret said feeling no less encouraged by what he was hearing "Did he tell ya sumthin?"

"No..." Reeve said shaking his head "He didn't need to...he couldn't"

"Why not!" Barret asked

"Because his tongue had been cut out" Reeve responded calmly

"Fuck..." Barret said taken back, he moved to the front of Reeve's desk and sat down in the chair "Who the fuck woulda cut his tongue out...it's...it's..."

"Standard practice for Wutai Assassins" Reeve said taking his seat "But it hasn't been practiced since the Shinra war...Their assassins willingly cut out their own tongues so as not to reveal information to the enemy"

"Dat's just wonderful" Barret said shaking his head "I guess yer canceling da trip then?"

"No" Reeve said "We go to Wutai as planned"

"WHAT!" Barrets fist hit the desk with a resounding Crash that echoed throughout the room and caused the Soldiers outside to cringe "You crazy Reeve?"

"I probably am..." Reeve said "But being crazy has gotten me this far Barret and i'm not going to stop now...besides i'm wondering if this is really an isolated incident"

Barret took a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself.

"What do ya...what do you mean" he asked

"I'm worried that whoever sent this assassin after me wouldn't send others after the rest of Avalanche..." Reeve sighed "I think once we get in touch with Yuffie we should get in touch with the rest of the team"

Barret winced at the mention of Yuffie

"Remind me again why we have to deal with that little theif?" he asked

Reeve turned and gazed out the window

"For several reasons...the first being that with Corels coal i can produce a new fuel source for Midgar...Yuffie has spoken to her father and they've agreed to pass on to me a method of burning the coal that will increase it's fuel output and make it safer for the enviroment...it's a step in the right direction to heal the rift that the Shinra war caused the people, I plan on making a generous donation of Midgars resources as a gesture of peace"

"But you said the assassin was Wutian..." Barret said "It sounds like someone doesn't want that rift repaired"

"I said it was standard practice for Wutai assassins...it could have been someone trying to start another war by using Wutian methods, i'm not going to point a finger until i know exactly where to point it...and when i know where to point it the axe will follow"

Barret was impressed at how Reeve was handling things, having known nothing about the man behind Cait Sith up until a few months ago he saw a leader beginning to emerge, a leader that wasn't easily intimidated...when push came to shove Reeve it seemed would push right back.

"I know you've got all these plans made..." Barret said "And I know you want peace between Wutai and Midgar...but I aint going to let you go" he quickly added "Just yet"

Now it was Reeves turn to be surprised

"And just what do you have in mind Barret"

"You're too important Reeve, I can't just let you mosey over to Wutai when there could be another assassin waiting for you...hell there could be an army waiting for you...so what you're going to do is send me over there as an emissary, I'll deliver your generous token of support to Godo himself, I'll scout things out...and if everything is clear, then you can come"

"Barret you're just as important as i am, Corel needs you...I can't ask you to..."

"No one's askin Reeve" Barret cut him off "I'm tellin you...that's the way it's gunna be"

Reeve opened his mouth to speak and then stopped, he smiled realizing Barret was only looking out for him.

"Fine" he said "But let me send Cait Sith with you..."

"Like hell" Barret retorted "I'll toss that Mog out the Helicopter before we even reach Wutai...damn thing bouncing around all over the place...s'gonna make me motion sick just watchin the fucking thing"

Reeve chuckled

"Alright...I'll just send Cait...I don't need the Mog, I just need a way to communicate...Don't deny me that "

Barret considered the offer and nodded

"Fine...but no Mog...I'll fry its ass if i even catch sight of it"

Reeve chuckled again

"You're a good man Barret, thank you for looking out for me"

"That's what Avalanche does for it's own" Barret said before turning and opening the door "You just wait here and don't go getting yourself killed" without waiting for a response from Reeve he shut the door behind him.

Reeve was caught off guard by Barrets parting words...Avalanche looking after its own...Cait had always been a member of Avalanche, and though it had always been Reeve controlling him he'd never considered himself a member of the legendary group, it was an honor to be considered a member.

And Honor had never been a companion of Reeves

Until now.

AN: For some reason i re-wrote this chapter 3 times, I wanted to portray a growing respect between Barret and Reeve and give Reeve a little more backbone, make him a little bit stronger, Barrets speech gave me the most trouble so in the end i decided to "Edumuhcate" him a little bit and make him "Smerter" ;

-Lotuss


	6. Intruder Alert

"God damn rust bucket....piece of shit!"

The curses eminating from the belly of the highwind could only have come from one man.

"Fuck! Can't believe this...damn it!"

That one man was Cid Highwind...

"Shit!"

Member of Avalanche and the wielder of a vocabulary made up mostly of obscenity, Cid could weave a conversation made completely of curse words almost as well as he could fix anything Mechanical.

Despite his tendency to curse Cid was probably the most happy man in Midgar, pausing from his work and cursing he looked at the ring that he now wore on his left hand.

"Who woulda thought..." Cid said with a smile "That she'd say yes"

Shera had made him the happiest man on the face of the planet...and their Honeymoon at the Gold Saucer...well that was a story for another time.

Cid grinned lost in thought until a panel he'd been working on suddenly sparked, jumping in surprise Cid banged his head on the underside of the panel he'd been working on.

"Fuck! Shit! Damn it!"

He cursed rubbing his head and crawling out from under the panel...

"Ok...Ok...Tone it down Cid...If Shera hears you cursing like the old fool you are not even Avalanche can save you..."

Shera had laid down a firm no swearing policy, it was a far cry from the days of freedom Cid had once enjoyed, his smokes were harder to find now...Tea was plentiful but the occasional beer Cid had once enjoyed had dried up...and his collection of...Adult Magazines had mysteriously vanished...Cid who had stared down Sephiroth himself while the planets fate had hung in the balance didn't have the courage to ask Shera where the....Literature had gone to.

But perhaps the most difficult change married life had brought about for Cid was the dreaded swear jar.

Enforced by Shera with an iron fist the swear jar had consumed a hefty chunk of change since its arrival.

"Three Hundred fucking gil..." Cid said mournfuly "What the hells she gonna spend that money on anyway? Could start up a college fund for homesless kids with all that spare cash layin around..."

CLANG!

Cids muttering ceased as the loud crash echoed from somewhere in his ship.

Still amazingly agile for his age Cid was on his feet in an instant, working with his ship as long as he had he possessed and intimate knowledge of every creak, groan, and odd noise that she made, if his ship hadn't been a living breathing human being then Shera might have accused him of having an affair with it...but some things about the old pilot could never be changed.

Cid strained listening for the slightest sound...his ship was deathly silent.

Reaching for his weapon he cursed realizing he hadn't taken it with him when he'd come on board, moving silently across the deck of his ship he paused...

There!

The sound of footsteps padding softly above down the stairs...towards him.

It couldn't be the kids, Cid had struck the fear of god into any nieghborhood children who entered his ship without permission, and he'd given no clearence for the little buggers to come on board today, Shera knew enough to call ahead first and let him know she was coming on board...

He'd given his crew the day off...

So then who the hell was on "His" ship!

Grabbing a metal pipe about the length of his arm Cid tested it...it would have to do.

Creeping out the door Cid went over the mental map of his ship he kept in his head, there was only one way to come down those steps, only one way into the cockpit...which meant he'd see his mystery guest in a matter of seconds, crouching Cid lay in wait...the soft footsteps grew closer.

The figure made it's way down the stairs, Cid saw whoever it was was dressed in tattered rags and clutched a small sword in his hands.

(Since when do the local Hobo's carry swords?) Cid asked himself rising quietly, so far the man hadn't detected his presence, Cid gripped the metal rod firmly and prepared to swing, stepping into the light he noted with satisfaction he'd caught the bastard by surprise...probably thought he was being nice and quiet...Cid swung the rod intent on breaking necks and asking questions later...

"CIIIIIID!!!"

"SHERA!"

Shera's panicked cry caused Cid to lose his momentum, his swing went wide and the ragged man ducked under it, the force of the metal striking the wall jarred it from Cids hands, he let it go with a curse as it crashed noisly to the floor.

"SHERA!!" Cid cried again as the figure closed in raising its sword

"Who the fuck are you!" Cid snarled looking for some way to get around the ragged swordsman...but the man remained silent, blocking his way...it appeared the only way to get to Shera would be to go through this one.

"Get out of my way!" Cid growled stepping forward, the swordsmans blade darted out quickly and Cid stepped back.

Cid had learned a thing or two about swords over the years, Watching Cloud and even Sephiroth in battle had given him a healthy respect for Swordsmanship...and he knew enough about it to know a sword was dangerous in anyones hands as long as they were quick enough...The ragged sword wielder was fairly quick but there was something sluggish about him, as if he was tired, his pale skin and dirty hair made for an unkempt appearence.

"A Warrior who has no respect for his body has no respect for his weapon" Cid recalled Clouds words from almost a year ago before the poor kid had vanished.

The swordsman was quick...but he couldn't hold a candle to Cloud.

"Well come on then asshole..." Cid growled stepping forward, the swordsman swung again much like he had the previous time, and this time Cid was ready for it, ducking under the blade he countered with an uppercut that shattered the ragged man jaw with an audible snap, bringing his knee up into the mans gut Cid doubled him over and shoved him face first into the floor, his adrenaline flowing he raised his boot and brought it down on the back of the mans neck.

CRACK

Pausing only to pick the sword up off the ground Cid rushed up the stairs

"SHERA!" he called out "SHERA TALK TO ME!"

Silence greeted him and it made him all the more frantic, his cool composure was beginning to crack.

It made him all the more careless...

He never saw the blow coming as he rounded the corner, it crashed into his nose and sent him tumbling to the floor by the sheer force of it.

Looking up through eyes blurred by pain Cid saw another man dressed in rags standing over him...but this man was much larger, and looking into his eyes Cid saw no trace of the sluggish swordsman he'd faced downstairs, though his flesh was pale his eyes were aware, every move was quick and calculated, and the sword he held in his hand was rocksteady.

Cid knew he was out of his league immdiately.

"Cheap shot...Motherfucker"

Cid growled getting to his feet ignoring the blood flowing from his nose, raising the sword he yelled and ran forward, The ragged swordsman smirked and held his ground, as Cid swung the sword down with all his strength, enough force to sever the mans head from his body.

But to Cids astonishment at the last second the mans blade jerked up blocking the blow with ease as if it had been weilded by a child, Cid was even more amazed when the blade shattered in his hands, before he could recover the ragged man kicked him in the chest, Cid staggered backwards and crashed through a door, tumbling until he struck a cabinet Cid tried to shake of the fog creeping over him...he'd never been hit that hard by a man!

Looking around Cid saw he was in one of sevral cabins...this particular one Cid knew well, well enough to know exactly what was in the cabinet behind him, pulling himself up he cringed as he felt the agonizing burn of a broken rib, drawing in quick breaths Cid opened the cabinet door and wrapped his hand around what could possibly be his last chance...

Suddenly a hand on his shoulder spun him around, With all his strength Cid backhanded the ragged man, Quick and silent as he may have been the man wasn't expecting the blow that rocked his head and sent him staggering back a few steps, he quickly shook it off and turned back to the Pilot...only to discover the old man holding a shotgun leveled at his chest.

"Here's a...cheap...shot...for you...asshole!" Cid panted

BOOM!

The ragged man flew backwards and out of the cabin landing in a heap on the floor, Cid stalked after him ejecting the empty shell from his weapon.

"You sorry sack of shit..." he panted fire burning through his body with every breath he took "No one messes with Cid Hi...." his words died in his mouth as he gazed down on the body.

There was no blood...

"What the...hell?" Cid leaned forward cringing as his chest burned...the pale body was bloodless...and to Cids horror the shotgun blast that had shredded the mans chest was healing before his very eyes.

"Oh...shit..." Cid muttered as the ragged mans eyes snapped open.

Cid staggered back reaching into his pocket for another shotgun shell but the ragged man moved with inhuman speed tearing the weapon from Cids hands and ripping it in half, with a hiss the creature was upon him...

Cid grunted as the creature landed a blow to his chest...and then to his head, Before Cid could even recover from the blows he found himself hoisted overhead and hurled like a ragdoll back into the office, he flew through the air his mind trying to make sense of what was going on before he crashed through a table, he heard a snap and screamed as his arm was broken.

Cut, broken, and bleeding Cid struggled to get to his feet

"Shera...god...damn it..." he cursed trying to find the energy to pull himself up with his good hand, after a moment of struggling he managed to get to his knees but it took the majority of his strength...looking up he saw the ragged man standing over him...the same defiant Smirk on his face.

"Well go on then...bastard...get it over with..." Cid said swaying on his knees

The ragged man gazed down at him for a moment as if Cid was beneath him then stepped forward.

Cid took a deep painful breath and summoned up the last of his strength, with all the will he could muster he drew his hand back and...Punched the ragged man in the groin.

The ragged man stopped abruptly and gazed down at Cid with a look of surprise on his face, though it appeared he wasn't in pain the man looked at Cid with a raised eyebrow.

"Was...Worth...a...shot..." Cid croaked

The ragged man backhanded him lazily and sent him crashing back to the ground, kneeling over Cid he drew a wicked looking dagger from his belt and placed it against the pilots throat, Cid felt the cold kiss of steel against his throat, his head swimming he knew he was going to lose conciousness anyway, and he couldn't even find enough energy to spit in the bastards face.

"Lotus! No!"

The ragged man halted and immdiately jerked the dagger away, awareness fading Cid couldn't help but think the voice sounded...familiar.

Another figure entered the room

"The woman is secure...the master wants this one left alive"

Lotus rose to his feet and bowed his head

"As you wish" he said quietly, his voice reminding Cid of a snake

The figure was cloaked in a black robe but as it moved into the light Cid could dimly make out it's face...

His eyes went wide...

"You..." he groaned "But i don't understand..." he closed his eyes intent on opening them again...but he never did.

AN: You might have noticed a little swearing here...Wouldn't be Cid without the cussing, and i trust since you've read this far Faithful readder that you know i'm not just about cussing and violence...I r can have class too...

More mystery characters here, and while i haven't revealed them i assure you faithful reader that you know them all, except Lotus who's a character i threw in there.

I hope you've enjoyed these three chapters in one sitting, chances are it's all i'm going to be able to post for a little bit, but with your patience i will continue to press on when i can and we'll get through this story together, I having fun writing and you (Hopefuly) having fun reading.

-Lotuss


	7. A Bad Feeling

They traveled in relative silence.

Tifa was content to ride behind Vincent and watch the scenery pass them by, thoughts raced through her mind faster then the Golden Chocobo could cover ground though and she was always feeling eyes on her back no matter how many times Vincent assured her they were alone.

Tifa hated this feeling, she hadn't felt this powerless since she'd looked up into the sky and seen Meteor on the horizon, a looming promise of death that had been growing closer with every passing moment, it was only by taking comfort in Clouds presence had she made it through that turbulent time in her life...in all their lives.

But Cloud was gone...dead for all she knew.

She hugged Vincent tighter, her quiet lover didn't seem to notice at first, he was surveying the ground behind him, they were a day and a half out of Nibelhiem and heading for the water where Vincent had said travel to Rocket Town would be safer and quicker then a journey by land, Vincent turned his gaze on her after a quick sweep and gave her a quick nod.

"They're out there...they're quick...but we're half a day ahead of them...if we can get to the boat ahead of them we will be out on the open water where they can't follow, we'll make Rocket Town in another day or so"

Vincent's calm assured tone of voice reassured her and made her feel almost silly for her fears, but still Tifa couldn't fight that feeling of unease, Meteor had always been on the horizon, their mission had always been clear, find Sephiroth, stop him, save the planet from Meteor as impossible as their task had always seemed they had always been together...united as a team.

Now they were separated, and a threat was lurking in the Shadows striking out at them and if it was reaching out to them then there was no reason to assume that their friends were safe.

Tifa closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for the safety of her friends, Vincent watched her recognizing what she was doing he kept a respectful silence, he'd long ago given up on prayer, but looking back on Tifa he smiled...if he did believe in prayer surely Tifa would have been the answer to that prayer, when she finished Vincent took her hand in his good one and gave it a squeeze then without another word he urged the Golden Chocobo into motion and they were back on course moving towards their destination with all the speed the loyal bird could muster.

--

"No word from Nibelhiem sir..."

"Shit..."

Reeve cursed pounding his fist into his open palm venting his frustration.

"What about Cid in Rocket Town?"

"Nothing Mister President, we've been trying all morning" the guard said with a helpless shrug

"No Vincent...No Tifa...and No Cid...do you have anything positive to report?" Reeve asked from behind his desk his frustrations just about boiling over.

"Erm...Mister Wallace is ready to depart...and he's grumpy as hell waiting for your clearance sir...oh and he also stressed to me I was to make it very clear that you kept your er...Fat Ass Mog with you...and just sent Cait" the Soldier cleared his throat as if fearing some sort of verbal backlash from the President for speaking in such a manner

"Erm...his own words sir" the Soldier quickly added

Reeve chuckled and it felt good, the sudden break in the tension was even enough to bring a smile to his face.

"Let Mister Wallace know that he departs at Midnight...and his trip will be...Mogless as I promised"

The Soldier saluted Reeve and left hurriedly to report the message to Barret, Reeve sighed deeply and stood up from his desk, he paced about the room trying to put his worried mind at ease, his only contact in these last few weeks had been with Barret and Nanaki...The Guardian of Cosmo Canyon had confirmed Reeves worries that something wasn't right...The Planet was restless...and hadn't been this restless since The Meteor Crisis, Nanaki had agreed with Reeve that the team needed to be assembled immediately and Reeve had taken it upon himself to sound the alarm.

Reeve knew he had Barrets help no matter what the situation and that was a tremendous relief, but he hadn't been able to contact anyone else from the Team and this troubled him greatly, communications with Wutai were strained and Reeve knew he had to tread carefully there, he knew he had Yuffies support but she had her own problems to attend to...Godo was growing old and soon Yuffie would be taking her place as the next leader.

Unable to Contact Vincent, Tifa, or Cid that left Cloud.

And Reeve knew Cloud was beyond Contact...the young man had simply vanished off the face of the planet and Reeve didn't have the resources to track him down, Reeve knew though that if Cloud hadn't shown up by now then he was dead...the young man had a habit for being able to put his personal demons aside and come to the rescue when he was needed...if he hadn't made his presence known by now...then he was dead.

In his weaker moments Reeve even wished he could have tracked down the Turks and enlist their aid, but they'd simply vanished after the fall of Midgar, Reeve presumed they were dead as well, in other words he was knee deep in shit and he was pretty much slogging through it alone.

Rubbing at his temples Reeve decided to call it a day, nothing more could be accomplished sitting in the office worrying, he could do that just as well at home where at least he had a soft bed.

Glancing around at his office Reeve sighed, hopefully tomorrow would yield some good news for a change.

--

It was shortly after Midnight when Barret boarded the Helicopter, though he was no stranger to these kind of trips he still didn't enjoy them, he usually got a sinking feeling in his gut during take off and landing that he could have dealt without, but this mission was crucial and any minor discomforts he endured would be well worth it...except maybe seeing Yuffie again.

"If that brat even thinks about stealing from me...we gonna have ourselves an international incident!" the large man murmured to himself

"What?"

Seated across from him Cait looked up at him.

"Nothing..." Barret muttered "Better buckle up Cait...don't want anything happening to yo ass during take off or landing" Barret said reaching across the gap in-between them and pulling the seat belt across Cait and buckling it in, the fact that the belt effectively muffled the little robot by covering his mouth was merely an added perk.

"Shaddap!" Barret said with a wave of his hand "An wake me when we get there" he said leaning back and gritting his teeth as the helicopter took off, Caits protests were muffled and in Vain.

Barret sighed watching Midgar growing smaller in the distance, suddenly he felt a sinking feeling in his gut that had nothing to do with the bumpy ride.

"Got a bad feeling about this..." Barret said to himself before closing his eyes and grabbing what sleep he could.

--

"Master all is in place"

The cloaked figure gave no response that the words had reached his ears, he was gazing out at the full moon, Lotus shuffled his feet and looked around the room, finally when he was pondering repeating himself his Master turned and spoke regarding him with those twin red eyes that made even Lotus shift nervously.

"The Captive?"

The masters voice was snakelike and unpleasant to listen to, but Lotus swallowed and responded knowing he would earn his masters ire if he remained quiet for too long.

"She is being treated well enough...as were your orders" he spoke hesitantly

The masters eyes examined him as if peering into his very soul, Lotus shifted again.

"You doubt me..."

It was more of a statement then a question but Lotus knew that if he did not respond he would most likely be punished.

"I have...concerns Master" Lotus said hesitantly

"Speak them..." the voice hissed without hesitation as if challenging him

"The Pilots woman...the captive...we've captured her...surely he will come after her...and once Lockheart and Valentine unite with him they will make a formidable force, should they unite with more of their friends...it is just...I ponder if we are ready for such an attack"

The cloaked figure nodded.

"A good General always knows the shape of the battlefield...know this! The shape of the battlefield has not yet been set my loyal servant, you've played your part well but there are many battles left before the final battle begins...and when it does begin...we will hold the upper hand!"

Lotus watched as his Masters hands shook in anticipation of what was to come, hearing the passion in his voice it was impossible not to be swept up with him and share in his vision of blood and destruction.

"Now...I believe you have a job to do my General"

"Wutai..." Lotus grinned

"Yes..."

Lotus turned to leave feeling he'd been dismissed but his Masters voice followed after him

"Before you go...My faithful servant...Bring me the captive"

"As you wish Master..."

His Masters words followed him out into the hall making him smile...he didn't envy the poor woman in the slightest.

"I hunger..."

AN: Well it's been awhile hasn't it? But here's Chapter 7 up for all of you, I've been struggling with this one for a long time, it's fairly tame in the grand scheme of things but it serves to thicken the plot a little more before the next chapter in which I will bring it to a boil...or if you prefer...when the shit hits the fan! ;

-Lotuss


	8. Ambush

Vincent stumbled, tried to catch himself and fell, landing painfully in the dirt with a muffled grunt he looked up trying to shove the pain of his accumulated injuries to the back of his mind, he'd been running since dawn trying to reach Rocket Town with as much haste as his wounded, exhausted body could manage.

WELCOME TO ROCKET TOWN!

A bright happy sign proclaimed in giant letters, and then just under those.

Home of World Renowned Captain Cid Highwind! Hero of The Meteor Crisis!

Vincent coughed and pulled himself up with a groan, he was overcome with a fit of coughing, doubling over he coughed into his hand clutching at his ribs with his free hand, when he finally managed to right himself he discovered his hand was bloody.

"Push it aside!" Vincent growled to himself "Keep going! If you ever want to see her again keep going god damn it!"

Vincent staggered into Rocket Town and towards Cid's Home, as he made his way through the empty streets his mind played over the events of that morning, he'd never seen the attack coming! It had been a testament of how quickly and horribly things could go wrong...

--

Vincent had been leading the Chocobo off the boat when the attack had begun, his senses were alert as always but he supposed in retrospect that the day they'd spent on the boat huddled close together even sometimes making love on the rocking waves had dulled his senses, it was the only possible explanation he could think of for falling Victim to an ambush.

The twang of a bowstring had caused his head to snap up but it was already too late as a large black arrow buried itself into the Golden Chocobo's neck, the bird "Warked" in agony and yanked away from Vincents grip trying to run, trying to breathe, but the frothy blood pouring from the creatures mouth told Vincent the bird was moments from death...it just didn't know it yet.

"VINCENT!"

Tifa's cry hadn't been necessary, he saw the large group coming at them, rushing them before they could fully disembark the boat, trying to catch them off guard before they could gather their senses about them.

That had been perhaps the only mistake they'd made, Tifa easily leapt the gap from the boat to the ground rolling up and coming to her feet, in one graceful motion she slid the Pistol from Vincent's hip just as Vincent had raised Death Penalty, they met their foes in a hail of gunfire.

Vincent zeroed in on the bowman pulling the trigger once and barely noticing when the bowman's head exploded in a mass of skull fragments and gray matter, he took another of the charging men down through the throat, Tifa resisted the urge to fire wildly at the advancing targets instead picking a larger one and focusing on the vital areas Vincent had taught her about...one shot slammed home into his leg staggering him, the martial artist was a quick study with any weapon and she knew of pressure points and vital areas anyway, her next shot took the man in the throat as he slowed to clutch at his knee.

Together they felled 4 of the advancing men, but their enemies had strength in numbers and by the time they met in melee combat there were still at least ten still standing, dressed in ragged clothing and caring nothing for team work or battle plans they threw themselves at Vincent and Tifa as if they had nothing to lose.

Tifa met the closest with a bone snapping roundhouse kick that killed her opponent immediately and sent his body crashing to the ground like a sack of grain, Vincent drew his sword, he knew very well that they were dealing with the same men who'd attacked them in Nibelheim and he knew that with this many of them the only way to fight them would be to not pull his punches

"Don't hold back!" he growled over the sounds of combat as he swung his sword severing the head of one of his attackers before reversing the blade and slicing another's throat.

Tifa heard Vincent's cry, her fists and feet were in a flurry of motion delivering bone crushing blows, but even as she dropped her opponents she realized that they were still stirring, rising with their broken limbs hanging limply at their sides or hobbling on sprained ankles or broken knees at her trying to get ahold of her, Tifa barely managed to dodge a dagger thrust taking a glancing blow to the shoulder she winced but drove her fist into the attackers nose driving his nose bone back into his brain, however as the ragged man dropped Tifa felt a wave of dizziness wash over her and staggered back, this cost her and she took a blow to the stomach that doubled her over.

"Tifa!"

Vincent cried out over the sounds of battle as he saw her go down under a pile of attackers, more had joined the fray and though Vincent fought them and killed them without quarter or mercy they were landing blows because of the sheer desperation and numbers they fought with, Vincent could feel the chances of Victory slipping away, still he redoubled his efforts cutting a bloody swath through his enemies, but as he reached Tifa he was stopped in mid charge by another figure, this one appeared to be masked eyes narrowed to slits glared out at him as the attacker slammed it's fists into Vincents chest rocking him back a step and staggering him, the figure advanced over the fallen bodies of it's companions and Vincent could only make out it was the form of a woman under the black clothing.

A dagger took him in the shoulder and he cursed himself ripping it out without a second thought growling in pain he buried it in the throat of another ragged man and then barely managed to block the attack of the masked females next attack, it cost him his sword as her kick sent it spinning from his hand to the ground.

"Tifa!"

Vincent cried out again, he could hardly make her out through the battle but he thought he could see the ragged men picking her up and despite her struggles managing to restrain her enough to get a rope around her, Vincent was beginning to see red and in his mind Chaos was howling to get free, Vincent knew it would be his only chance for survival and without reluctance he gave in to the transformation.

"I don't think so Valentine!"

With impossible speed the female broke through his defenses and slammed her hand into his chest, Vincent felt the air around him crackling with energy and he knew the Lightening spell was coming before it hit him at point blank range.

The pain was undescribable as the lightning flowed through his body like a living entity ripping open every nerve and pouring salt in the screaming wounds Vincent had never know this much pain all at once, he screamed in agony dropping to the ground, before he could recover from the assault he was kicked and pummeled from what seemed like a hundred different angles.

"STOP!"

The blows ceased instantly

"The Master wants this one alive! Leave him..."

Vincent tried to look up at the female, her voice sounded so familiar! But he couldn't place it.

"Ti...fa..."

He groaned trying to rise but his limbs would not support him, he crumpled back to the ground crying out in pain and frustration, they were taking Tifa! And he couldn't do anything about it! He reached out his arm trying to grab onto something, anything that would keep him from fading into the darkness, but like a colossal wave washing over a shipwrecked survivor clinging desperately to a plank there was no escape and he was swept away into oblivion.

--

"Cid!"

Vincents voice was more of a croak as he knocked on the door to the Captains house, the door swung open and Vincents unease grew, Rocket Town at a glance was virtually empty, a ghost town.

Vincent pushed his way inside and looked down in alarm at the trail of blood leading from the door across the room and into the bed room

"Cid?"

Vincent called out his hand reaching for his Pistol but coming up empty when he remembered Tifa had taken it back when the fighting had begun, instead he gripped his rifle and moved slowly through the house wary of a sudden ambush, he followed the blood trail to the door and pushed the door open cautiously.

"Cid!"

Vincent threw open the door and rushed to his friends side, Cid looked to be on deaths door beaten bruised and broken, his hand was stretched out towards a dresser as if he'd been trying to reach for something before he passed out, Vincent quickly rummaged through the drawer until he found what the Captain had been looking for...a Cure Materia, Vincent immediately went about healing his friends wounds and when he'd recovered enough from the effort he healed his own wounds, laying up against the bed grimacing he felt the pain slowly fade until it was merely an unpleasant memory.

Cid remained unconscious even after Vincent had gotten him into bed, sitting down utterly exhausted in a chair next to the bed Vincent closed his eyes and tried to push the grief of losing Tifa to the back of his mind, he would get her back! But until then he needed to keep his emotions on a tight leash, the army organized against him was obviously larger then he could handle, he needed to round up his friends, possibly go to Cosmo Canyon and plan an attack, find his enemies base of operations and lay siege to it, tear it down brick by brick and stone by stone if need be...Chaos raged inside his mind howling for a chance to be let loose on their unknown enemy.

Vincent closed his eyes and sighed in frustration, sleep came but it came slowly, the last thing Vincent thought he heard before he fell into the darkness of sleep was a helicopter passing overhead.

AN: Chapter 8 posted and done! Making up for a few tame chapters with a healthy dose of action, Tifa is gone and in the hands of our unknown enemy, more players to be revealed in the upcoming chapter 9 and I assure you the action is only going to heat up there.

lilmizgrunge I hope this update and its promptness meets your approval

As always thank you all for reading and reviewing!

-Lotuss


	9. Sacrifice and War

The trip would have been exhausting for any mortal man or woman but the figure in the brown robe had crossed across the land and waters to Wutai shores with a tireless energy, he strode with purpose off the boat.

(The danger is here...you must keep them from reaching Wutai)

A sudden explosion in the direction of Wutai distracted him

"They are already there! I must..."

(You must stay here!) The voice cried drawing his attention away (Help is on the way...for now Wutai must defend itself...Your attentions are needed here, if the invading army reaches the gates of Wutai all will be lost!)

"But..."

((Remain Calm))

The figure stopped in his tracks as the second voice entered his head, deep and soothing he felt what anxiety boiled in his mind slowly vanish

"You've been quiet...I was wondering if you were still there..."

((We share this body...I am always here))

(Over the hill...they are encamped there...they will be preparing to march on Wutai)

The brown robed figure strode across the field his long legs eating up the distance between him and his goal, he marched up the hill but at the top he paused looking down at the army encamped there, spread out across the field, there must have been a thousand camped there at least!

"There are many..." the robed figure said surveying the field

((There are not enough...)) the second voice responded calm cool and not sounding shaken in the least.

"I forget...you've been here before"

((I know the terrain...the battle will be fierce but we will be the victors by the days end!)) the voice promised

Shouts from below brought the figures attention back to the matter at hand, he had been spotted.

"So much for being Subtle..."

((We will meet them head on!))

The brown robed figure raised his arms to cast a spell but as he did he heard the sounds of a helicopter, looking up he saw it heading straight for Wutai, he noted the Shinra markings on it, perhaps this was the help she had mentioned...

Suddenly a flash from the ground sent an object straight for the helicopter, it hit dead on and a loud explosion filled the air.

"NO!" The figure cried out as the helicopter went down in a flaming ball "We must help them!"

((It is too late! The battle is joined! We must fight, we must do our part! Now focus!))

Frustration bordering on rage filled the figures eyes as he turned his hands glowing with power, his friends had been on that Helicopter he knew it! And now they were dead!

"You will pay!" he cried out towards the mass of evil encamped below him, and then he gave in to waves of rage boiling in his blood and began to cast his spells.

Below him the screams began...

--

"Barret!"

"Hmmph?"

"Barret!"

"Whaa?"

"BARRET!"

Something slapped Barrets face hard

"Whutthefuck?"

Barret awoke to find Cait in a panicked frenzy

"BARRET! IT'S A ROCKET WE'RE GOING TO..."

And explosion rocked the helicopter and Barrets world began to spin in crazy angles, he was dimly aware of the pilot screaming in agony but the screams quickly faded and after a wet gurgle the pilot fell silent.

"Jesus!" Barret growled as he more or less tore the seatbelt apart in his haste to get up front, when he did he found the pilot or what remained of him, his face had been shredded by the explosion of glass when the rocket had struck them, the controls were destroyed and the Helicopter was falling like a wounded bird...they were going to crash right into Wutai!"

"Hang on to something Cait! Barret yelled, cursing and grabbing what remained of the controls he tried to pull up, if his efforts served to better their situation then they were barely perceptible improvements.

Barret could only stare in horror at the ground rushing up to meet them, and when they struck the force of the impact felt like it broke every bone in his body, then mercifully all went black and Barret knew no more.

--

Yuffie winced as her wounds healed, the green light faded and she went about healing her fathers wounds.

"The door will not hold them for long..."

Godo's voice was solemn, accepting of the fate that had befallen them.

"Then we'll make them sorry they opened it..."

Yuffie promised standing next to her father raising her conformer, she winced again when she saw her weapon was all but useless now beaten and bent out of shape.

"No..."

Her fathers one spoken word caused her to raise her eyes in disbelief

"Excuse me? Do we have another place to be father?"

Her voice dripping with sarcasm she turned to regard him with upraised eyebrows, to her surprise Godo only chuckled

"You remind me of your mother when you do that...but I mean what I said Yuffie...No We don't have another place to be...you do"

Yuffie folded her arms defiantly

"If you think I'm just going to leave you here then you're full of shi..."

Godo laughed out loud

"Just like your mother..." he said again

The banging on the door drew his attention away from her, the door was shuddering against the force of the blows from the other side

"Listen to me my daughter for there is not much time..."

Godo moved to a chest in the corner of the room and opened it, removing a bundle he carried it back to Yuffie handing it to her as if it were a delicate burden.

"This was your mothers sword...it now belongs to you, don't let it's light weight fool you for it is balanced and as lethal as any other sword you will find in this land, in the corner there is a secret passage...it leads to your mothers room and contains all her worldly belongings, you will not have much time but whatever you can take is yours, after you take these things then you must leave, you must find someway off this island and to your friends, I am certain the same evil that plagues us is affecting the rest of the Planet...you must find them and put an end to it"

Yuffie looked up at him with tears in her eyes

"But you...you can come with me!"

"I will buy the time you need to escape Yuffie"

A loud bang caused the door to cave inward ever so slightly

"But..."

Yuffie looked to her father and to the door

"Yuffie! There is no time! You must leave now!" her father roared, he flung his arms around her and hugged her to him "I love you Yuffie...I am proud of the woman you have become...now go!" he shoved her towards the passageway just as the door nearly exploded from it's hinges inward and evils Minions came rushing through.

"GO!" Godo screamed as he leapt to meet the first wave of the attackers, many of them Wutian themselves it seemed, Godo didn't understand how his own people had seemed to have risen against him and betrayed him, the uprising had come to quick, the vacant look in their eyes and evil aura about them however told Godo that these were no longer his people...he didn't need to hold back.

Godo had never intended to, Drawing his sword from it's sheath he held it in one hand and his sword in the other, as the first attacker came rushing at him he raised the pointed end of the sheath and drove it into the mans throat, the point sharp as any sword drove all the way through, Godo let the dying man keep the grim trophy lodged in his throat and clasped his sword in both hands.

Godo knew he would die this day, but many more would die before him!

--

Yuffie sobbed as she ran down the hidden passage way, shoving her way through the door she shut it muffling the sounds of battle coming from behind her, as she turned to observe the room her sobs caught in her throat, she gazed around the room in awe.

The room was silent, peaceful, a stark contrast to the obscene violence that was ripping Wutai apart, Yuffie had never known her mother but being in this room she could feel the woman's spirit all around her, she wiped at her eyes and marveled at the battle dress that had belonged to her mother, long crimson silk robes that looked like they would fit Yuffie precisely.

Yuffie knew she didn't have half the time she needed to get to know her mother through all the objects in the room, in the flickering candlelight she shed her clothing and donned the dress, if fit as if it had been made for her, she went about buckling on the pieces of armor to her legs, arms and chest and then she donned her mothers headgear, a diamond hard band of metal that went around her head and protected her face.

Unwrapping her mothers sword Yuffie was again surprised, the blade was as long as her arm, curved at the end, it was a woman's blade but no less deadly, Yuffie sheathed the blade and caught sight of herself in the mirror, her breath caught in her throat, in the flickering candlelight she did not recognize herself, she had never seen a picture of her mother nor did the room seem to have one, but staring at her reflection she knew it could have been her mother staring back at her.

Yuffie turned as sheathed her sword...she fought against her fathers words wanting to rush back to help him, but she knew he'd ordered her to her task and that she must honor that order.

"Go..."

Yuffie spun her head around the room looking for the source of the voice, it had been too soft to be her fathers, and Yuffie certainly hadn't spoken either.

"Go..."

The voice repeated and Yuffie felt herself pushed towards the door by a force she couldn't begin to explain

"M-Mother?"

"Go..."

Yuffie reached out and opened the door, the sounds of screams and battle assaulted the peace and tranquility of the room, Yuffie felt a light puff of air brush her cheek and then she was pushed out the door which slammed behind her and locked, Yuffie frantically tried to open the door but to no avail, frustrated she spun around, she gasped in horror as she saw a Shinra helicopter plunging out of the sky and crash headfirst into the weapons shop, one of the few buildings that had still been standing, the force of the explosion threw her back against the door.

"Reeve!"

Yuffie remembered the president had been coming to visit with her father, pushing off from the door she raced across the war torn landscape that had been her beautiful home towards the Weapons shop.

Around her the fires danced higher.

--

Godo gasped for breath, all around him bodies lay strewn about the floor, the Leader of Wutai had slain over 30 men in that room but he'd paid a heavy price, his body was wracked in pain and his left arm hung limp at his side now useless, many more enemies circled around him stalking him carefully.

"Come on then!" Godo Growled raising his sword with one hand still just as lethal "You wont take it!"

From the doorway a voice chuckled

"You arrogant fool! We've already got it! Did you think you could keep the weapon out of our hands forever? We had procured it even before we'd begun the final attack on your pitiful city!"

The dark haired stranger gazed at him with Red eyes, raven black hair framed his face and his lips curled up in a sneer

"My council would never allow..." Godo began but was cut off by the strangers laugh.

"Your council GAVE the weapon to us fool! We accepted it in exchange for their lives and safe passage off the island! The fools got just what they bargained for...they got safe passage off the island! And now The Master feeds on them!" the figure laughed as he strode into the room "And now we have no use for you...you are a king without a crown...a man with no control...Kill him!"

Godo despite the news given to him chuckled, his features grim, reaching up with his good hand he ripped his robe open to reveal a ticking bomb on his chest, casting aside his sword he spread his arms.

"The world is full of fools you Monster...and in a few brief seconds there will be two less fools no?"

The Raven haired stranger stared in shock at the timer as it counted back down from 5 seconds to 0, he turned and ran for his life shoving his men out of the way, he made the doorway just as the bomb went off, the force of the blast tore into his back and hurled him out of the doorway and into the room beyond.

The dark haired strange prayed for death before he blacked out, because if the Master knew of his carelessness he would not be so merciful as death at Godo's blade would have been.

AN: Chapter 9 up and posted! Quite a few minions running around doing "The Masters" bidding and in time their identities will be revealed, I hope you're all enjoying the story folks I've found my desire to continue it refreshed and I'm pretty sure this time I'm going to carry the ball all the way this time and spike it lol.

Hazen Bro thanks for reading each Chapter and leaving a review in turn, its much appreciated as is all feedback, thank you all for reading, let me know what you like, dislike, got some guesses as to who these mystery characters are? Feel free to discuss!

-Lotuss


	10. Gathering Friends

Cid groaned and opened his eyes.

"What the...fuck?"

Glancing around at his surroundings he fought the dizziness and disorientation wondering how he'd gotten to his room after the ass kicking he'd received at the hands of his attackers.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Highwind"

Cid nearly jumped when he saw the pair of red glowing eyes right next to the bed, Vincent had watched over him for most of the night.

"Jesus fucking Christ Valentine you're a spooky fuck! Shouldn't you be under the bed?"

He was rewarded by a dry chuckle from the direction of his companion, Cid cracked a smile until he realized something he'd forgotten

"Shit! Shera!"

"I found no trace of her...I'm sorry...I can only assume they took her to the same place they took Tifa"

Cid grimaced as he moved to the edge of the bed, he flicked on the light, Vincent looked just the same as Cid had remembered him at a glance, but as he looked closer he thought he could see Anxiety in those twin red orbs.

"Bunch of scruffy looking bastards?" he asked his friend

Vincent nodded

"And a woman, I couldn't see her face but she moved quite fast"

"Yeah..." Cid said "I saw her too, got a good look at her face...was that blond bitch that ran with the Turks" he growled "I don't know what team she's playing for now but if she's hurt Shera I'm going to turn that bitch inside out before I kill her!"

"Elena...yes...the woman fits her profile...but the question that alludes us now is...why?" Vincent said pondering aloud "I can't help but think she might be a small piece of a much larger puzzle"

Cid grit his teeth as he tried to stand up, pain shot down his back and he sat back down on the bed

"Fuck...so they came after you in Nibelheim? Took Tifa?"

Vincent shook his head and explained to his friend how the mysterious forces had attacked he and Tifa in their home town, Vincent told him their first plan had been to come to Rocket Town and then perhaps to Wutai or Midgar.

"Strength in numbers" Vincent said

"I don't know where these bastards came from, they jumped me on the Deck of the Highwind" Cid explained "I killed one of them but they had this big fucker with them...I think Elena called him Lotus...I gave it all I had Valentine but this bastard handed me my ass like I was some punk kid who'd never been in a scrap before...I unloaded two Barrels of buckshot into his chest and it hardly fazed him"

"Another enemy then, these two and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of soldiers...we have quite a fight on our hands" Vincent said out loud, he watched as Cid stood up and winced in pain "Are you alright? I can use the Materia again..." Vincent said

"Naw...fuck it...this is my bodies way of saying I gotta stop getting my ass kicked" Cid said pushing Vincents concern away "But Shera's in trouble and I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit on the sidelines and let her sit there alone and afraid" Cid looked up at Vincent "I love her man..." he said allowing emotion to slip into his voice for a single moment.

"I know..." Vincent said "We'll get her back

"So it's time for plan B" Cid said as he limped over to a small room off to the side of his bedroom, opening it up he led Vincent into the room and the former Turks eyes widened in surprise...there were guns hanging from the walls, just about every shape, make, and model he could have imagined

"This...is plan B?" Vincent asked in amazement, he'd never pictured Cid as the type to wield weapons like this.

"A part of it yes...don't look so god damn surprised Valentine, I worked for Shinra...I had military training...I aint gonna shoot myself in the fucking foot!" he growled as he moved slowly over to a drawer and withdrew a small bottle of pills, opening the bottle he popped one into his mouth and swallowed it, noticing Vincents curious stare he tossed the bottle to him.

"Morphine?"

"Damn right" Cid replied "That'll cure what the Materia doesn't..."

"Cid these are addictive..." Vincent said handing the bottle back to the pilot

"No shit Doc...what are you gonna tell me next? Smoking kills?" Cid shook his head throwing the bottle into a duffle bag "I've already got one addiction, there's plenty of room for more!"

Vincent watched Cid move about the room grabbing various guns and ammo, the precision and knowledge the pilot chose his weapons with surprised Vincent, it was a side of his friend he'd never seen before, Vincent was even more surprised when Cid unveiled what looked like some sort of experimental suit of armor, stripping off his shirt he put in on, once all the pieces were connected he slid his shirt back on, the only thing visible were the gloves, reaching down to his waist, he flicked on a switch Vincents well trained eyes and ears could see and hear power flowing through the suit.

"Shinra technology at it's finest...Stole the fucker from the weapons department while you guys were dealing with that Psycho Hojo" Cid grinned.

"Is it effective?" Vincent asked

" I could bench press your skinny ass Valentine..." Cid said

An hour later and two dufflebags stuffed with all manner of weapons Cid and Vincent emerged from the Pilots home and out into the backyard, Vincent was shocked to see that the Highwind had suffered a great deal of damage.

"Yeah..." Cid said following his gaze "Fuckers messed my baby up pretty bad...that's another strike they got against em, the pilot stalked across his backyard and pulled a tarp off something he'd been working on, Vincent immediately recognized the Tiny Bronco, Cid had obviously made improvements upon it and it looked a great deal sleeker and faster then it had looked before.

"So we go to Wutai first and pick up the brat and then onto Midgar?" Cid asked

Vincent nodded

"I was thinking first thing in the morning...we both need rest and..."

He was cut off as the sounds of a distant explosion from the direction of Wutai filled the air, he and Cid looked in the direction of Wutai and saw a dark Cloud could be seen in the sky loosening thunderbolts, small explosions lit up the night sky.

"Well I was thinking right fucking now!" Cid said hurriedly climbing up into the front

Vincent said nothing, his mind was in turmoil, more of his friends were being hurt and he was still no closer to getting Tifa back, he climbed into the plane and buckled his seat belt, Cid soon had the small plane up into the air.

"I'm coming Tifa..." Vincent said to himself "Hang in there..."

AN: Yup I turned Cid into a pill popping gun nut...god help us all!


End file.
